Skin Prison Poem by Astell Collins

Skin prison

I have paid for my father’s sins
But will I ever be delivered from this prison that’s my skin
What should I do?
For a chance to see you
Cries have become too familiar a song
I sat and have pondered for too long
The root causes of the injustice that goes on?
I questioned my place and with whom do I belong
As I crossed from my slumber
I wonder, even consider if my pains were to be forever
Will this dismay ever disappear?
And will despair forever remain here?
Can joy and the fullness of life be my reality?
Or is it my childhood’s unrealized fantasy
Why am I wrong to dream of equality?
And why am I treated so cruelly?
Forever imprisoned in the darkness
I seek the liberty from humanity’s kindness
Couldn’t I just walk away?
For I feel condemned by trials I face every day
My future is disappointed for it feels taken
And my heart is broken
My hope is shaken
As I am questioning, will these prison bars ever open?